Devotion
by Dreamatorium
Summary: Hook and Emma's thoughts as they become more aware of their feelings for each other.


**I - Quite the Team  
**

Hook knew Emma liked him. It was easy for him to see through her armour, which only made her resist him even more. There was something about Emma that was special. She had spirit and courage. He liked that about her. He liked a challenge, too, but even though he felt attracted to her fiery personality and her beauty, he didn't have time for a relationship. For the time being, he couldn't help but flirt with Emma, but that was all for now. He had more important scores to settle. Right now, all he could do was keep her interested.

It was precisely the fact that he was unpredictable that Emma was attracted to. Hook knew that she was a kindred spirit, even though Emma was unwilling to admit that to herself, as all she saw was someone who could hurt her severely if she opened up to him even for a second. She was no risk-taker and needed to stay strong to protect herself from harm. She had gone through too much hurt and trauma already and wasn't going to let another man ruin her self-esteem. Nobody could break through the walls she had built at this point. The only people she trusted were directly related to her. It had taken her too long to shut the world out and only slowly had she been able to open up to her family. Although she trusted them by now, she hadn't even trusted her own son in the beginning. Of course, her mistrust of Henry also had to do with the fact that she thought he was spinning those stories to lure her in. Never in her wildest dreams could Emma have guessed that the fairytales from Henry's book were actually true. By this time, Emma knew that she could rely not only on Henry, but also on her parents, although she was still struggling with the idea that she was descended from Prince Charming and Snow White. Who wouldn't be? It was surreal to say the least.

Yet, no matter how well Emma was able to hide her feelings and ward off unwanted attention, she was still intrigued by Hook. She couldn't help herself. Maybe she would be able to open up to him eventually, but she couldn't imagine doing so at the moment. To her, he was the personification of evil. She couldn't trust someone so hell-bent on getting revenge even after hundreds of years. He was so persistent in his belief that Milah needed to be avenged that he would persevere until his revenge was completed. That evil intent scared Emma. If he held a grudge for such a long time, she didn't want to cross him, but she knew that she should have trusted him after they had climbed up the Beanstalk. She could have had an ally in him, but she had trusted her instincts, which had screamed at her to leave him behind. In that instant, he was too much of a risk, one Emma was not willing to take when being back with her son was at stake. She had too much to lose then, but in hindsight, she knew she could have trusted him. Maybe it would have been easier to get back to Storybrooke with him by their side, but what's done is done and even without Hook by her side, Emma had succeded to get back to Storybrooke safe and sound.

Nevertheless, what Emma's instincts also told her was that Hook was not done with her just yet. She had the feeling he would still hold it against her that she had left him to his own devices with a dangerous giant on the loose. At this point, Emma knew Hook would try to get the best of her again, despite the fact that he had already payed her back by contributing to locking her up in a cave. From the moment Emma met Hook, he had proved to reach all the goals he had set for himself, no matter the cost. It was precisely for this reason that Emma now felt it in her gut that Hook was not yet finished with his payback where she was concerned. To begin with Hook may have seen a suitable ally in Emma, but now she knew she was a risk to him, someone to watch out for. Emma guessed that Hook would rather screw her over again before she could do the same to him. If her instincts didn't fail her, he would attempt to best her again the next time they met, simply to demonstrate that there would always be dire consequences for those who dared to mess with him. Although Emma wasn't aware of the extent to which she had disappointed Hook, she did know she had let him down. That was why Emma now realised that it would be necessary for her to be vigilant the next time she encountered Hook, as he would probably have further plans in store for her. If Emma was sure of anything, it was that Hook would surely come back for more.


End file.
